Iowa View: Iowa's rich legacy as a leader for fairness, equality

1:40 AM,
Aug. 24, 2013

FILE - In this Aug. 28, 1963, file photo Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., center left with arms raised, marches along Constitution Avenue with other civil rights protestors carrying placards, from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. Next Wednesday, the nation's first black president, Barack Obama, will stand near the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. stood 50 years ago, a living symbol of the racial progress King dreamed about, and enunciate where he believes this nation should be headed. (AP Photo, File)

Written by

Wayne Ford and Chet Culver

In August of 1963, a milestone in American history took place in our nation's capital city. The "March on Washington," led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, was a call for freedom. The message was simple - that the promise of social, economic and political equality belongs to all Americans, regardless of race.

Five decades later, Rev. King's dream of fairness and equality still inspires millions around the world. His words are, in so many respects, the promise of America.

This promise is something we know well in Iowa. We have a proud and unparalleled record protecting civil rights. This is not a ...